5 Gay Bars Keeping Colorado’s LGBTQ+ Culture Alive
Gay bars have long existed as spaces for members of the LGBTQ+ community to gather and express themselves in many ways that may not be understood or welcomed elsewhere. As centers of culture, empowerment, and fun in all shapes and sizes, these establishments help to keep queer traditions and stories alive wherever they are found. Here are a special few to keep in mind next time you’re looking to spend a night out under the rainbow.
1. R Bar and Lounge (Fort Collins)
After Choice City Shots closed its doors in 2013, Fort Collins was left without a permanent hub for queer nightlife. That changed two years later with the opening of the R Bar and Lounge just off of the northeast corner of Colorado State University’s main campus. Open nightly from Tuesday through Saturday, the R Bar hosts an array of events throughout the week. From open mic nights where patrons can share stories and poetry, to drag shows featuring prolific local queens such as Jessica L’Whor and Trina Tuckit, this establishment offers a bustling college town a much-needed space for LGBTQ+ gathering and celebration.
2. Blush & Blu (Denver)
Would you believe that in less than 40 years, the number of lesbian bars in the Unites States has dwindled from around 200 to only 24? It’s an unfortunate truth, but thanks to the support of Denver’s lively lesbian community, Blush & Blu is alive and thriving. This popular East Colfax establishment is open seven nights a week and features poker nights, spiritual self-care, Latin dance lessons, and more. Blush & Blu caters to a wide variety of crowds and prides itself on offering a high-quality drinking and entertainment experience to its customers.
3. The R&R Lounge (Denver)
Northern Colorado’s queer history is a long one, and some of its gay bars are no exception. Founded in the 1950s, the R&R Lounge is one of the oldest gay bars in Colorado and continues to serve a vibrant crowd on East Colfax to this day. In its early days, the R&R Lounge was known as the Coral Lounge and was more discreet about its target clientele, calling itself a “mixed” bar to avoid persecution. After rebranding in the 1970s, however, this long-lived business has been a loud and proud fixture of Denver’s queer community. Games of darts are a staple, but themed costume nights and all-out holiday festivities attract all sorts of patrons to this historic site.
4. El Potrero Night Club (Glendale)
Within the LGBTQ+ community itself is a problem of exclusion when it comes to people of color and non-English speakers, and unfortunately, many gay bars fall short of empowering these people as much as they do white audiences. El Potrero Night Club seeks to challenge this by offering an almost exclusively Spanish-speaking venue for Latinx bar-goers to enjoy a kind of queer culture that reflects their unique experiences. Nightly shows are a pride of this establishment, as are the club’s many drag competitions that give drag artists veteran and rookie alike a chance to show off their skills.
5. DV8 Distillery (Boulder)
Boulder has a history of open support for its LGBTQ+ residents, even earning itself a place in the book 50 Fabulous Gay Places to Live all the way back in 2005. Considering this, it may come as a surprise that DV8 Distillery has been the city’s only designated gay bar since its opening on 49th Street in 2016. DV8 Distillery’s gradual but profound emergence as a queer culture hotspot began with its first Dance ’Til You Glow party, wherein patrons were invited to dance, drink, and be covered in fluorescent body paints. Music festivals, drag shows, and Burning Man events have also come to be hosted here from time to time, cementing DV8 Distillery as a literally and figuratively spirited LGBTQ+ locale.
